Hello all.I just sold my ridgid r4512 “hybrid” tablesaw because i had so much trouble with the blade moving out of alignment with the miter slots and fence. With any movement of the blade up or down, I would find that my blade was again out, usually with the back of the blade creeping substantially toward the fence. The trunnion brackets attach to the table on this sort of saw, and the r4512 does not accept a PALS without some machine work I did not want to do. The only variable was changing the depth of cut or very slightly squaring the blade tilt ( no blade changes, no binding, no strike to or moving of the saw. I would tighten the trunnions down quite tight, check my alignment as within 0.003 across the blade, parallel to the slot, and then several cuts/ depth adjustments later, I’d check and be .008 to 0.02 out of parallel deviating the opposite way. Very frustrating.). I do not know if this is a model problem or if my saw was defective/ warped.

All that to ask, since I am again looking to buy a saw, if those of you with the saw stop contractor saw have had difficulty aligning your saw or trouble with it staying aligned? The sawstop is also table mounted, so I am concerned.

Further, which of the hybrids out there are cabinet mounted, and are they really that much easier to adjust and keep in alignment?

Thanks.

-- I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them ** Thomas Jefferson

8 replies so far

some 4512s did have a problem with arbor misalignment that was specific to some saws that were produced. there were scattered reports of fixes, but the best fix, IMHO, was to return the defective saw and just try another one. for as many threads as there were out there about misalignment, i’ve seen an equal number from satisfied users. BTW, the grizzly g0715p reportedly had some units experiencing the same alignment issue.

if you want something with cabinet mounted trunions that’s not a full cabinet saw, you might consider this steel city:

I got a pdf file from SawStop on adjusting my contractor saw. I also installed a PALS on the saw. Adjusting it was difficult due to not being able to reach the nuts and bolts on the right rear side of the saw from the back of the saw. I had to tighten the right side through the blade opening but I got it set to .001 and it has stayed there for 3 years now. It was a PITA but it was effective.

I’d skip the hybrid search and go for a true cabinet saw with a 1.75 HP 110v motor. Steel city and sawstop both make one. I’m personally leaning towards the sawstop. Expensive I know, but it’s an extremely well built saw.

Some of the early R4512 were problematic to keep aligned….alignment would change when the blade height changed. The same issue plagued the nearly identical early Craftsman 21833 and early Grizzly G0715P’s that had very similar guts. For would-be buyers and general information, to the best of my knowledge those alignment issues have been fixed on all of them.

AFAIK, current hybrids and hybrid style contractor saws with cabinet mounted trunnions are all the Steel City, Craftsman 22116, General International 50-200R, 50-220R, 50-240GT, Porter Cable PCB270TS, and Laguna Fusion. It’s worth noting that only the Steel City, Cman 22116, and GI 50-240GT have the yoke style cabinet mounted trunnions that span from corner to corner. The others are much smaller, and actually look very much like table mounted trunnions, but they’re supported by the middle of the cabinet strut…..still easier to reach and align, but not as robust as the yoke style.

PCB270TS

Cman 22116 (same as the SC35925 and former Ridgid R4511):

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

My two cents worth of input is, once you have been the frustrating contractor table mount route, cabinet mounted seems to be the way to go.

For me anyway, in reference to Knotscotts helpful visual of the trunnion arrangement, I would want a beefier trunnion than those center mounted ones. Those do not look substantial for the long term.

Whether you do just DIY stuff or casual hobbyist work, it is so nice to be able to walk up and turn on your saw and get the same accurate cut as the last time you used it without having to re tune, re align, or get frustrated.

I had some experience aligning a Delta contractor’s saw when I bought a prerelease version of the Sawstop contractor’s saw. I checked everything, and it was dead on. It has remained that way for quite a few years now.